Get Social!

The Des Moines Social Club kicked off it's new location with bang last week.  They hosted a party named "Food For Thought" and a BBQ catered by Woody's Smoke Shack (Yum), a fancy dinner, pole sliding, mural painting, tours and wall demolition were all part of the festivities.

The old firehouse will be home to the DMSC and there are a ton of fun things to do in store for everyone!  Check out this calendar of events, it has everything from dance parties to martial arts classes to parents night out!  The new venue will have culinary classes too!  

They are still operating in their current location on Walnut street and hosting events around town, like trivia on Tuesday's at the Gas lamp while the construction occurs.

I was too chicken to slide down the pole, look at how high that is!  But, I had a great time pretending while drinking my beer!


What an awesome way to get out and meet people, learn something new and have a good time.  The Des Moines Social Club does a lot for the community and by participating you are helping to support them.

Look for theatrical events, concerts parties, classes and more @ http://desmoinessocialclub.org. You are sure to find something you'll like.

Lunch Unplugged

We had the pleasure of going to one of the "Lunch Unplugged" performances at the Temple Theater last week.  It was so cool!  Each season Des Moines Performing arts sets up lunch hour performances that showcase Des Moines' talent.

Each performance starts at 12:00pm and ends before 1:00pm so you can eat lunch (that you can purchase from South Union Bread Company, which is right downstairs) or bring your own and be back to work all in an hour.  An awesome thing to do if you work downtown or don't have to work and can just come to the show.

Last week's perfomance was by the Des Moines Ballet.  It was really cool to see Des Moines resident Ballet Dancers in action and to learn all about them all while enjoying a yummy South Union lunch.  Other shows this season include The Des Moines Metro Opera, a Folk/Bluegrass Band and a Singer/Songwriter.  This is the third year they have done the series and you can look for them to release the performance schedule for next season soon.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door and you can order your South Union Bread lunch when you purchase your ticket online. We missed the cutoff to order online so we ordered on the South Union Bread website on the day of the show and had it ready for pick up before the show.

So nice to add a little bit of culture to your day!  If you have the opportunity, check out the schedule for the rest of the season and see if you can fit one in.

Adventures at -6 Degrees

While my vote is to make it illegal to leave your house on days when it's this cold, I'm guessing that won't happen. So, the adventures must continue! 

Nathan and his friend after enjoying the performance.

Today we made the 45 minute drive up to Ames to check out a children's show at the Scheman building at Iowa State.  It was advertised for kids who are kindergarten to grade 5.  We brought two kids that are both pre-k and they both loved it!  Very worth the drive.

Today's show was "Charlotte's Web" and it was very well done.  Tickets were $4 in advance and $5 at the door.  And they were packed!  So if you go to see one of the next shows, get there early since it is general seating and seats fill up quickly.  The show lasted 60 minutes. The next show for that age group in the Youth Matinee Series is in April and the show is "Seusical". They offer shows for older kids too though, the list is here: http://www.center.iastate.edu/events/education/ 

A lot of parents take their kids out of school for the morning and a lot of schools were there on field-trips, but I think it was perfect for pre-k kids too!  They had two shows, one at 10:00am and one at 12:30pm.  Either one you pick, make sure you hit Hickory Park while you are up there! Check out my review of Hickory Park here!

Look for others family shows like "Blue Man Group", a show called ZooZoo that is playing this Sunday and is for ages 3 and up that looks really cute and Shrek that is playing on February 13th at 7:30pm. Click on the links for more info and to buy tickets for these and other shows.

Performing Arts for Kids!

Did you know you can take your kids to see awesome live shows at the Civic Center and Des Moines Playhouse?

Nathan gives two thumbs up for the Des Moines Symphony's Children's performance of "The Carnival of the Animals".

The next show at the Civic Center is on March 2nd and 1:00pm and is "The Ugly Duckling". Tickets are only $8 and they have a pre-show that allows kids to do crafts and meet performers!  Very fun!

Buy tickets for this show and other Civic Center shows here:

Des Moines Performing Arts

The next Des Moines Playhouse show is "The Kid Who Ran For President". It plays from March 1st to March 17th and you can purchase tickets here:
Des Moines Playhouse